Letters from a Blue Eyed Angel
by xVine Archerex
Summary: Companions of the Night fanfic. What happens when the eyes that haunted your dreams return to your life? He never truly intended to let her go, to let her live. What will Kerry do when Michel pulls her into another one of his vampire games... Rated high T
1. Prologue

**My first Companions of the Night fanfic. I'll try to update soon. Obviously, I don't own anything but plot line and any characters I make up. Oh, and thisi s a work in progress so try to bear with me, I don't know how it'll end up and I'm working on a Beka Cooper fanfic too.  
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The harsh winter wind brushed against her frozen cheeks as she tightened her jacket around her. Kerry forced herself to expose her hand to the frigid air as she dug into her mailbox. For the last few months, she had been bringing in the mail. After all, half of them were address to her by an unknown amount of colleges who sent their recruitment ads to students listed on their registry. Didn't they know she had finished applying?

But it wasn't a college letter that she was hoping for.

Grabbing the handful of letters, she returned inside, stomping the snow out of her boots as she entered the front door. She dumped the contents on the kitchen table as she dug into the fridge. She placed sandwich making materials onto the counter, and with a slight pause, she took out the hot chocolate mix as well. It was the beginning of winter break and she didn't have work on Wednesdays.

Ian's school bus would drop him home in half an hour and she wanted to have his lunch out. After boiling some hot water, she fixed up a grilled cheese-tomato sandwich and cut it into four triangles. When the teapot sounded, she took out two mugs and filled them half way before adding the coco mix and cream. Years ago, her mother had taught her how water made it taste better without making it seem like chocolate milk.

Taking a soothing gulp, she allowed the concoction to warm herself, she pulled the mail toward her lap; her heart beating faster than it should. On the top of the pile lay a postcard portraying a Floridian landscape, complete with a blazing sun and hypnotic blue waves. The same color as his eyes. It had to be from him after all, it was part of his new game to send his 'pen pal' postcards from his travels.

Last time, one came from Tokyo, Japan.

Holding the postcard in her hand, she remembered the first time she received a letter. By now, she had it memorized:

(A/N: We're in flashback mode right now; I'll tell you when it's over)

_You told me goodbye after you rejected my offer._

_But who says we can't be friends._

_What do you say, pen pals?_

_M._

Michel, for she decided not to call him Ethan since he signed it with his initial, was the most addictive drug the world had ever seen, if not the most deadly. But then, he had spared her and they left on good terms, so she allowed it to continue.

At any rate, he left no return address, which is why, she realized a few weeks later, he only used postcards: No sender. Kerry's inability to reply to his infrequent messages frustrated her to no end until, one night, she found him outside the supermarket she worked at.

Seeing him in the flesh made her forget about her ugly uniform. She had the keys to her new (albeit used) car in her hands, frozen like a statute as he grinned at her. After a long moment of silence he spoke.

"Hello to you too."

"I couldn't send one back, you know." She seethed.

"Of course not." He said, figuring out her line of thought easily. "Then you'd know how to find me."

"That defeats the whole idea of _pen pals_, or whatever you had in mind." She started walking past him, but he turned her around to face him before removing his hands from her shoulders. "Why are you here?"

"To see an old friend."

"I don't buy it Michel, you always have a reason behind everything."

"Fine, I came by to see if an old friend remembered her promise to keep her mouth shut."

"I would never—" Kerry began, but he cut her off.

"I know, but I haven't lived this long without being careful. Besides, I did want to see you again"

"Why. Why have you kept in touch with a girl like me?"

"You always make things over complicated."

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"How about we catch up over ice-cream?" He asked. She bit her lip, unsure. He sighed. "Kerry, it's just ice-cream, there aren't any evil vampire games."

"I have to get my car back and let my dad know I got home safe. He's been protective ever since the Marsala thing." He nodded.

"I'll pick you up in half an hour." He said, before turning around and disappearing into the shadows.

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**Please Review, criticism is welcome. This is one of my favorite books!!! Sorry it's short, but I was experimenting to see if I could even make it sound good. I'll try to update soon.**

**~Vine**


	2. Hello, my name is 'blank'

**Hey guys, so this is chapter one. The prologue is in third person, but this story will be told through Kerry's eyes. It's not very long, sorry, but I don't think I'll update quickly if I write longer pieces. Enjoy, and please leave me a review with comment and suggestions for the story. Critisism is fine.**

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Pushing my new bangs out of my eyes, I opened the door and placed my car keys in the basket next to the front door. From the living room, I could hear the voices of Sesame Street mixing with Ian's shrill voice. He was counting to ten along with Count von Count; the vampire Muppet. I smiled at the irony of the situation as I went into the kitchen. Dad was cooking dinner.

"Hey dad, I'm home." I went over and kissed his cheek. He beamed and asked me how school was. I'd had a big Calculus test today. "Not too bad, studying pays off." I said offhandedly. I had always worked hard in school and I had decent grades even if I wasn't valedictorian material.

"Glad it went well, Ker. How about you go wash up? I'm about done. Oh, and did you say hello to Ian? He's been watching TV all afternoon waiting for you."

I shifted uncomfortably; I had only twenty minutes left. "No, I didn't want to bother him. Anyway dad, I think I'm actually going to skip dinner. I met a friend at work and he asked if I wanted to grab some ice-cream." I cringed mentally in my head, I had said _he_.

Dad turned away from the food, looking at me with a tinge of that worry single-fathers always get when their daughters have a date. Poor thing, his paternal instincts wanted to tie me in the house, but he knew he couldn't without seeming unreasonable. Though technically, I reminded myself, it wasn't a date.

"Oh, with who? Do I know him?"

"Just a guy I know. He's nice dad, you can trust him." I hope.

"When will you be back? Is anyone else going?"

"No just the two of us, and not too long. I won't stay out after curfew." It was only six in the evening, and my curfew was midnight, but it still didn't seem like enough time to catch up with the ghost from my past.

"Well alright, but we'll have to eat dinner without you." He seemed disappointed, defeated. I tried to ignore it. Besides, with any luck, this would be a relatively normal night out. And lately, I didn't go out very often.

"Thanks dad. I'm going to go freshen up, he'll be here soon." Racing upstairs I grabbed my towel and shut the bathroom door tightly. Without waiting for the water to heat up, I rinsed my body and rubbed shampoo and conditioner into my hair, trying to get out all the oils from a long day of school and work. Seven minutes later, I stepped out with a satisfied grin on my face. I do believe it was the fastest shower I have ever taken in my life.

Down to business, I pulled out the blow-dryer and whisked my hair into frenzy. When it turned off, my brown locks fell easily on my shoulders in pretty cascades. I thought about pulling it up in curls but this wasn't a date, and I didn't want his teasing.

I took out a red camisole and pulled a white top over it. Then I tugged on a pair of khaki capris and sandals. After a moment, I applied a bit of eyeliner and a smack of lip gloss. After all, I always wore eyeliner, so tonight wouldn't be any different. I examined myself in the mirror with only a few minutes left to go. I looked pretty enough, but in a casual way, like I wasn't expecting anything but a night out with a friend. Which was exactly the occasion.

I was struck out of my revelries when the doorbell rung; my heart skipped a bit. Raising my head a little, I strode downstairs and went to the door. Ian was straining his head to look up to Michel. He was standing in the door way, leaning against the wooden frame in his jeans and collared shirt. He hand the arms scrunched up to his elbows, just like the guys in a fashion magazine. His dark hair fell in shards across his forehead and he had on that easy-going grin.

After a moment, he broke off his conversation with my baby brother and made eye contact. I love his eyes, but they have this strange, predatory tilt to them that reminds me of what he is.

"Kerry, your friends is here! He said you're going out for ice-cream, can I come too?" Ian asked. I was saved from replying when my dad showed up.

"Actually Ian, I think it's getting too late for you to go out. We're going to have dinner and them you're going to sleep." He said, pulling Ian closer to rumple his hair. Standing up straight he shook hands with Michel. "Hi, I'm Kerry dad. I'm sorry I don't actually know your name, I forgot to ask her." I laughed internally; I forgot to ask him myself.

"That's alright; I'm Christopher, nice to meet you."

"Same. You know, you don't really look like a high schooler, more like some of the students from the university." My dad asked. Why do fathers have to be nosy?

"Actually sir I'm not, but I used to be. I graduated last year; I go to school at York University up in Canada. I'm back to visit my parents who live in town." This is where I stepped in.

"Yeah dad, you've heard of the strikes right? The teachers are on strike so all the classes are canceled. Chris was doing some grocery shopping for his mom when we bumped into each other." Michel nodded at my statement; it wasn't a bad cover up. All those months lying about the Marsala case must have improved my imagination.

"I think I did read about that. Isn't that one of the school you applied to Kerry?"

"Yeah, it was. Anyway dad, I think we should get going. See you later." We said goodbye and walked outside to the car. It was relatively new, beige Camry.

"Nice car."

"Thanks, it was a graduation present." He told me as he went to the driver's seat. I let myself in as well. "Ready for ice-cream?"

"Sure. So, care to finish telling me why you're here?"

"You're impossible."

"It's better than asking about the weather." I countered. He smiled a bit at that as he backed out of the drive way.

"You might not like the answer you know."

"It doesn't matter." I waited for a while, and I was afraid he wasn't going to answer.

"I last saw you about, six months ago. When you asked me if you could leave, I let you, even though you knew our secret, even though you weren't becoming one of us. On hindsight, that was a very stupid thing to do. I decided that I couldn't just forget about you; you're a liability. I should probably just kill you now." He heard my heart beat speed up, so he looked at me, smirking.

"Don't worry; if I wanted to kill you I would have already done it. I wouldn't wait until you went home and changed. But you see, I have to break my promise because I can't let you go. That is to say, you can live you're life as you are now but I'm going to keep stopping by to make sure I can trust you."

"Not that I want you to change you're mind, but why go through all that trouble, why not kill me and make life simple?" I asked, nervous regardless of his assurances. We had already arrived at the restaurant, but we still sat their in the car, in the parking lot.

"I'm a vampire Kerry, there is little that I haven't seen or done. Life can be very dull, sometimes. What happened before was not an ordinary circumstance; life for me isn't a giant game of cat and mouse.

"One thing that I've seldom seen is a human who tried to help one of our kind, even after knowing the true. One thing I've never done is become friends with a human. They never live long and they don't know about us at all.

"Now however, I find myself in a bizarre situation. You know who I am, but you aren't scarred of me, much. See, if I'm going to check up on you anyway, I thought we could try and be friends instead of my stalking you in the shadows. It'll be something new, do you understand?" He told me, watching my confused expression.

"I know what you're saying, even if I still don't know why you want to be friends." I laughed, I feel like I'm a science experiment."

"I guess you can look at it in that way. Now, do you want to eat or not?" He said as he got out of the car. I followed him to the restaurant door.

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**Tada. Enjoy, sorry if I don't update often. I'm always busy and I'm always traveling. In fact, I just recently moved back to Europe. Give me a review and I post more frequently.**

**~Vine**


	3. The Flirt

**So guys, here's my latest update. Hope you enjoy it. As always, leave me a review and I post faster. Also, I just like criticism. Plot, writing style, and spelling/ grammar checks are most helpful.**

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We entered the main lobby and waited in line as a family asked to be seated. When it was our turn, we moved up to the stand where a young girl smiled at us, her chirpy expression chiseled into place. She wore a green apron over a brown tunic dress and leggings.

When Michel asked her for a table, she gave him a sly look so that her smile was more genuine. He returned her smile; amused. I frowned at the world in general, thinking it so unfair that he couldn't even go to a diner without flirting with someone. Besides, why on earth was the waitress dressed for a night out while working _here_?

Whatever, it's not like I should be jealous, but I was. It wasn't so much that the girl was flirting with him, but that Michel's attention was diverted. It had been a long time since I saw him, and I wanted to talk.

We were led to a booth where we sat facing each other. I ordered myself a couple scoops of chocolate ice-cream while Michel got a milkshake. The girl, whom I decided was a part-time worker in college, left to get our food after giving us a wink. And I mean both of us. I didn't bother to try and figure out what that meant; instead I leaned in and whispered.

"I bet you ten dollars she'll end up with you before the night's over." He grinned so that I could see the edges of his canines. Without warning he began digging into his pockets and pulled out a Hamilton, pushing it into my hand. In response I blinked; twice. He laughed at me.

"She's delicious." He told me, flicking the tip of his tongue along his lower lip.

"So what have you been up to since December? I can tell you've moved out of Brockport." I tried very hard to ignore his pun. He grinned again and leaned back against the upholstered seat.

"Did you check?"

"Not really, but the police said they couldn't find you. I'm assuming you're name was registered to the house; well, one of your fake identities anyway."

"It's not. The house belongs to Joseph Valenti. A historical home that's been in his family for years." He smirked as I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Or at least that's what people think. I bought it a while back."

I sighed. "You're being too friendly."

"I thought _friends_ are supposed to be _friend_ly, or did you miss the memo?"

"No, it's just that you're so open. I'm not sure if I believe you."

"Is there any reason for me to lie?"

"Would that stop you?" I pointed out, making him laugh.

"Not really, but I'll get you to trust me eventually. How about I ask the questions; that way there isn't a possibility that I'm making things up?" he waited for my consent before launching into his own inquisition. "So your father said you're applying to York. Why Canada?"

"It's a good school, but I'm not so sure now. I was thinking more like Amherst in Mass. I'd try SUNY, but I don't really want to stay here anymore, and I can still visit my family."

"Tame little Kerry wants adventure?" he asked, and we laughed quietly before the waitress returned with our 'food'.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" She asked, holding her hands behind her back so we could get a better visual of her chest.

"Not right now, but I'll be sure to let you know." Michel said charmingly, looking at her a second too long for my taste. The girl blushed, redness pooling under her cheeks. I kicked him under the table, knowing it wouldn't hurt him.

"I'm also finally out of the physiatrist's office," I told him loudly when he ignored me. The girl gave me a funny look before walking away quickly. That returned his attention.

"They actually let you out? I'd expect them to lock you up in a padded cell."

"You're not that lucky. Besides, we had really interesting conversations." I said, "Would you like to hear what about?" I shoveled some ice-cream into my mouth.

"Maybe in the car."

"Darn; and I was so looking forward to telling you how I met Edward Cullen and how he whisked me away to get married after I had his monster baby."

"Really Kerry? Glittering vegetarian vampires? It's a hippie horror."

"At least Edward's a gentleman. Did you see the movie? I really wanted Gaspard Ulliel to play him. Although, now that I think about it, you really look like him too." I babbled as I remembered he was also French; probably.

"You have no idea how often I've heard that, especially since we live in the States." He looked at me with a grimace, "And you could _never_ get me to see that puke." He looked at my empty bowl.

"How about you go to the car, I'll follow you in a moment." I was about to protest, but he glared at me, so I got up, snatched my purse, and huffed into the warm spring wind.

Standing there, I thought about my luck. I got to live, and I could still see him, or at least I'd get letters periodically. It was the best deal I could think of that didn't require either of us to change. However, there was this tinniest problem: I had told him I love him.

I wondered again, not of rte first time in the past months, if I had meant it. No doubt I had, I'd never risk my life for someone if I didn't care about them, and yet— I was pretty sure I didn't feel that way anymore. H was unearthly good-looking, but that didn't mean anything more. People can fall in love more than once; I'd seen that with my own family.

Eventually I realized I was looking stupid, standing next to the car so I climbed in and closed the door behind me. Ironic wasn't it? That a vampire I knew for three days could keep in touch but I've had contact with Mom once. It does matter anymore though, I already forgave her.

Within a few moments of staring into space, Michel returned and buckled up in the driver's seat. "How about we go to my old house for a while? So we can talk properly." He asked as he backed up. I nodded and locked at him.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I yelled at him. He looked startled.

"What did I do?"

I jabbed at the hand he had placed on the stirring wheel. There was a seven digit phone number scrawled across it in purple pen. He grinned.

"I told you to wait in the car," his eyes danced, "because you wouldn't like it."

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**I think it turned out a bit wordy, but funny still. I even stuck in a nice flirty waitress cliche. Oh, and a nice Edward twist from Twilight along with the delicious Gaspard Ulliel. Review Please.  
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**~Vine**


	4. On the other line

**Hello everyone. I'm sorry this took so long. But I warned that I take long to update. This is definitely short, but enjoy.**

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The next few hours were spent in the spacious family room at his Victorian mansion. He asked me more about school and about what happened after he left. I clued him into the bare basics; the police had been sure Marsala had abused me and how I was forced to return to therapy for the last four months.

The therapist had allowed me to discontinue because he released I was over the situation, if not comfortable with it. At school I had been interrogated thoroughly by my classmates but the excitement had bubbled down after a while. When midnight chimed, (for he had a grandfather clock), he got up and dropped me home, promising to stay in touch.

The second time I saw him was in the summer time. This time he had sent me a letter telling me exactly when he would come. Michel entertained himself by pretending to make up an identity for _Christopher_, fooling my brother into thinking he was a superhero. Later on that summer, I finally yelled at him for leaving me no return address. We were at his house once more and I had thrown a pillow at him. He deflected it easily.

"Really Kerry, one would think you'd be politer to your host." I scoffed at his comment.

"Not if said host continually acts like some babysitter dealing with a spoilt child. Why can't you just give me your address?!" I said, hugging another one of the cushions in order to distract myself.

"Because there's no reason to. Besides, people will notice if you suddenly begin a correspondence via snail mail, and secrecy is my best friend."

I pouted, "How about an email?" He laughed at me as he tossed over the cushion I had lobbed at his head earlier.

"So you can torture me constantly and spam my computer? No thanks."

"Michel, this is ridiculous. If you _truly_ want a friend then you've got one, but not if the scale remains tipped as it is." I said reminding him of his own words. For a moment he looked at me before leaning over and running a finger against my glands.

"But Kerry, if you don't like vampire games—"

"—don't play." I finished for him, swallowing tightly.

"Which is why I'm asking. I'm sick of games, and I'm sick of you threatening me. I like my normal life. So unless you start listening to some of my rules, I'm leaving."

It wasn't like I was afraid of him, but he had this special talent of making me jump out of my skin. I saw his jaw tense for a moment as he pulled back and reclined on the arm of the couch. Then in a movement I couldn't quite follow, he had moved away altogether as he headed for the kitchen. Bewildered, I stumbled as I tried to follow.

"What are you doing?" I questioned. He shrugged and picked up the phone and a Chinese takeout menu from off the fridge. I waited for a minute as he ordered Sichuan chicken and fried noodles. I didn't bother asking why.

When he finally put the phone down, he sighed gestured to the window. "If you leave a replying the mailbox, I'll get it. A friend of mine has a permanent residence around here, so he can forward me any of your mail. And before you snap at me, remember that I change my identity as often as you change clothes. If you start sending letters to guys who die every four months, the cops will come after you."

I was about to interrupt so he quickly added, "And I hate it when the police try to get involved."

(A/N: End of flashback!)

From that night onwards, we had a strange truce. He was letting me in, though at what costs, I don't know. I still don't know why he really came back in the first place. But that's all history, and I'm about to graduate, and he had finally sent another letter, this time from Florida.

_Kerry,_

_As you know, I hate cold weather so I headed down south for winter break. There's no where like the sunshine state to get a work on my tan. Anyway, my plans have worked out and I'll be able to come over for your graduation._

_I've also bumped into an old friend of your down here, you might want to give her a call, she misses you. Her number's xxx-xxx-xxxx._

_As Always,_

_~M._

My mind raced as I tried to remember if any of my friends had gone to Florida for college last year. I knew a lot of the seniors through the school plays, or at least from behind the curtain since I ran stage crew. Come to think of it, I think Alyssa went to Miami University.

Quickly, I dialed the number and waited as the bells rang. Outside, I watched as snowflakes flicked in the waning light.

Someone on the other line picked up, "Hi, this is Kerry, I was told a friend of mine lives here?" I waited until I heard a gasp.

"Kerry? Honey, it's mom. How are you sweetheart? I'm so sorry I—"

But I didn't hear anything else. That was my mother's voice. Something I haven't heard in over two years. Just then, a school bus screeched to a halt in front of my house and I saw Ian bouncing toward our front door.

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**Review please, I love feedback, even if it's a critique.**

**~Vine  
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	5. Games

**Look who finally updated. I deserve any anger you throw at me. But I wrote a longer chapter to try and appease you all...

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I looked across the stage and into the crowd until my eyes met a pair of green ones. My mother smiled tentatively at me and waved. She looked happy. Beside her, Ian was clapping like a madman, my father likewise. I waved back and moved the little hanging from one side of my hat to the other. I am eighteen years old and I've just finished high school.

Talk about relief.

Mom has been home, visiting for about a week. At first she and I talked a little on the phone. A lot of times I yelled at her, but when I realized that she never yelled back, I started to listen. She shouldn't have left. She was stupid, but she was sorry for all that's worth. Apparently she did become a private investigator, but she lived in a mediocre part of Miami, nothing special. Her boyfriend is still around, but she says they fight. I didn't really care though. Dad used to fight with her too.

When she first came up, she had to stay at the motel near Main Street, but she visits the house. I think things will get as little better now. Ian will stay with her for a week down in Florida. He'll like that.

As I joined the rest of my class mates, we tossed off our hats and the applause began. Graduating does have a high in it, and I was so happy. Yeah, I know, lack of better words. After that it's all a blur of photos, goodbyes to friends, and tears. Lots of tears. When we went home, my parents had me dress up so we could all go out to dinner.

All the while though, there was one thing missing, but I knew I couldn't see him until after sunset anyway. Remembering, I think I unconsciously threw on a dress that was lower cut than appropriate for a family meal. Oh well.

I grabbed a pair of strappy, black pencil heels as I hopped down the stairs, hastily combing my hair with my fingers. At the bottom, I say my mom and brother sitting on the couch, my father shrugging on his worn brown jacket. In that moment, it was so easy to pretend we were a normal, content family.

"Ready to head out troops?" Dad asked as he saw me join them, "We're going to your favorite restaurant, Mia Bella. Sound good Kerr?"

I beamed; they made the best Basil Linguini in the world and we didn't get to go often since it was so expensive. We piled into the sedan (our family wasn't big enough to warrant a larger vehicle) and raced off, me in the front with dad since my parents weren't comfortable with each other.

After a short wait, the hostess seated us. A handful of my class mates were also there with their families; as well as a couple. Ash and Matt had been together for nearly five years now, but Ash had decided to move to Tanzania as a Peace Corps volunteer. Normally they don't take high school grads, but her extensive community service made her eligible.

After ordering, I contented myself in people watching, while answering my parent's questions happily. Ian was too busy drawing with the crayons the server had given him. After a minute or so, I excused myself to run to the bathroom to wash my hands. Yes, I'll admit it; I'm a germ-a-phobe. It happened right after I met Michel for the first time. I'd started screaming in the night because I thought I had blood on my hands, so I'd spend half the night scrubbing them.

My dad finally calmed me down, and with the physiatrist's help it's nearly gone. That was back when I was having second thoughts on letting him go; when I still feared I was assisting murder by letting him live. Now I'm over it, because I know I couldn't change a thing anyway. Besides, it would be a lie if I said I was capable of hurting him.

Not that I like Michel in that way. Not anymore.

Coming back out, I was examining the tips of my shoes when I bumped into someone. Startled I apologized and looked up. The young man was wearing dark blue jeans and a white dress shirt and a black sports jacket. His straight, inky black hair was a normal length; styled in a casual mess fashion.

His blue eyes were laughing at my shocked expression. He brought up a long finger to his smirking lips to tell me to stay quiet. _Later,_ he mouthed and turned away. I stood a moment longer and stumbled back to our table. He was such a liar, he did stalk me…

The rest of the evening left me partially restless, though I tried being cheerful for my family. I'd always thought graduation was a family affair, or at least some of it. Later at night there was a party at Nelle's house for all the seniors and some of the better known juniors.

At last during dessert, I calmed some, devouring my chocolate gelato. Cakes were too heavy, especially after an American helping of Italian cuisine. It was with a spoon still in my mouth, that his shadow fell across our table.

Note to self: It's possible to see a vampire's shadow…

Mom noticed him first, as she turned to see the intruder and gasped. "Christopher! Is that you? It's so nice to see you again." She sang, and tried to give him a hug. He moved back slightly and it was awkward for a moment. "What brings you here?"

Michel went through the formalities, and accepted my mom's gratitude for bringing her kids back to her. Though really, our phone number hadn't changed, she could have called us anytime.

"It was my pleasure. Anyway, I got Ian a present." Michel said, and took out a small gift from behind his back. My brother cooed and dropped his crayons, reaching up.

"Hold on little man. I'll give you this if you let me borrow your sister for a while." He said, Ian automatically agreed, though the question was more aimed at my parents. Dad looked like he wanted to say no, even though it was established that '_Christopher'_ was trustworthy. He still thought we were secretly dating. Mom on the other hand, would probably sell me to him if he asked, she liked him that much. Which was a pretty creepy thing to think about considering her boyfriend was 10 years younger than her.

"Don't you have to go to Nelle's after this Kerry?" My father asked.

"Oh it doesn't matter. Kerry can take Chris with her to the party. I'm sure he'll have fun." My mom stated before she and dad started a miniature glaring competition.

"Actually, I have an invitation myself. I just wanted to know if Kerry wouldn't mind coming with me, I don't know the directions to Nelle's house." Michel said, putting up a look of fake innocence.

"Alright then. Well, your curfew's still at one," He reminded me.

"Um dad, I'm staying overnight afterwards for the sleepover, remember? The girls promised to help her clean up."

We finally left after mom insisted that I told them about the sleepover a week ago and that I wasn't just making excuses so that I could have sex. By that point in time, my cheeks were blushing furiously. I grabbed Michel's wrist, said goodbye, and stormed outside.

As we got into his car, he grinned and turned to me, hanging his arm over the back of seat.

"Do you really have an invitation?" I asked before he could get started.

"Naturally. I got one after I bumped into your friend and asked her if she knew where you were tonight." Neither one of us had to add that Nelle had been flirting outrageously. It was who she was. I cringed to think of what she would say when I talked to her next.

"Is there really a sleepover or were you in fact hoping to get laid?" I wanted to wipe that gloating look from his face.

"Of course there is!" I looked out the window hiding part of my face with my hair so he couldn't see me blush. I'm sure he knew anyway.

"Well, I'm sure we can apologize for why you won't be able to stay that long. As for your dad, Nelle would probably be more than happy to cover for us." He said as he pulled out onto the street. I turned my head fast enough to get backlash, my eyes wide in shock.

"Wh-what…d-do you mean by that?" I stuttered.

"I only come by every few months, so I thought you might want to catch up. Why, would you rather spend the night doing each other—'s nails?" He asked calmly, though his eyes glittered mischievously, telling me that he knew exactly what perverted thoughts my mind had come up with. I groaned.

"Fine, but we can't leave before 11 or she'll murder me, then tell my dad, who will murder me again."

"Speaking of which, I can't wait until you get to college. I'm sick of your parents and your curfews."

I was saved from answering when we pulled up to Nelle's house. It was a medium sized colonial style house with gray walls and black shutters. There were cars parked everywhere along the road. She must have invited half the school. Correction, half the school must have shown up; we had a bad reputation for crashing parties. I'd better watch my drinks; someone's bound to spike the punch.

As we stepped out off the car, I brushed the skirt of my dress as Michel waited. As we walked towards the house we could hear music play and I suddenly felt the need to run. It looked like I brought a date, and I didn't know what was worse, having everybody think we were together, or for my _'date'_ to start flirting with someone else. Thank god this is the last time I will see the lot of them. I only planned to keep in touch with a selected few.

My friend was being a good hostess and welcomed her guests at the door, but when she saw me, (and Michel), her eyes went wide as saucers.

"Well Chris, it looks like you found her after all. I've still got some work to do, but I'll catch up later. We seriously need to talk Kerr!" She winked at us and Michel nodded as we made our way in. It was only nine, so we had time to kill.

Though I'd been looking forward to this all week, I found myself wanting to leave. Suddenly, my friend Alice came and tugged on my arm.

"Hey! What took you so long Kerry? Look, we need a few more people for our game, wanna play?"

"Um….I don't know, Chris?" I asked. He was leaning against the wall, only half paying attention, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He gave me a half nod, not caring on how we past our time here.

"Cool. We're doing 10 minutes in the closet; as far as you're willing to go." She said slyly, giving Michel a look over, He pretended not to notice as we sat down in the circle on the floor and spun the bottle. I started sweating around then; I hadn't planned on this sort of thing with him, though honestly, I wasn't expecting him today at all.

The first few rounds went by uneventfully, that is until _Chris'_ name was called along with Jillian. She was one of those party crashers that wore too much makeup and gravity defying miniskirts.

"You don't have to do this" I muttered under my breath, knowing he'd be able to hear me easily. In a response he grinned and helped Jillian up. I rolled my eyes; I should expect no less from them.

As the clocked ticked, I rung my hands and twisted my mouth. Surely it had been 10 minutes already? As the door finally opened, Michel walked out with his hands in his pockets, looping over with his nonchalant gate and took a seat beside me. Jillian followed afterward, her eyes hazy and her hand half touchy a _'hicky'_ at her throat. The group whistled and catcalled.

I glared at him, one of my eyebrows half cocked. She was too young for him. He only smirked at my annoyingly, his tongue quickly darting out and sweeping his lower lip. How was it that he always found a girl when I was around?

This happened a second time before I finally got called with one of the drama kids. He was pretty handsome; the type that wore skinny jeans and always ended up with a major casting roll.

As I stood, Alice cheered me on, opening the closet door with a bow. Walking in, James folded his arms and leaning against the wall.

"How far do you want to go?" He asked. Kissing wasn't a big deal for him, even if he had a girl friend. He was so used to stage kisses that he treated it as offhandedly as Michel did.

"Not too far, but I'll let you know when it's gone far enough." With that James pushed his lips against mine. I smirked; he was a good kisser, just like I remembered from that time way back. Ten minutes later we stumbled out and I sat next to Michel with a blush when James winked at me. I heard him snort, but when I looked at him, his head was turned away. It was about 10:10 and we would leave soon.

"What's so funny?"

"That kid's acting like he scored something big, but we both know you're too innocent for that."

"Jerk, what do you think I am, a five year old?"

"Well…" he trailed off. I was about to ask him what he was implying when my name was called once more, along with Michel's. He quirked an eyebrow as the group began to chant.

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**Please leave me a review. I actaully wrote this months ago but forgot to update...**

**~Vine  
**


	6. Ten in Heaven

**Hello everyone, I'm not even going to bother making an excuse. It has been an eternity since my last post. I've been so busy after the wedding and work that I just didn't have a moment to spare. this time around, I promise I'll actually finish. leave me some feedback, and please forgive me!**

**Always,**

**Vine**

* * *

I could feel my pulse racing, and by the glint in his blue eyes, he could too. I was about to refuse bitterly when he stood lithely and offered and proffered his hand. My hair feel in front of my eyes as I panicked, grabbing his fingers tightly as he lifted me off the ground. A few of the other players looked at us gloomily, I'm sure they would prefer to take my place. I wondered briefly if they were spinning the bottle properly, Michel had been called more than anyone else thus far.

He turned and led the way forward and I trailed behind, my face fully flushed. This wasn't supposed to happen, he didn't think of me like that. I wasn't supposed to think of him like that. My mind went to that awful night when he had kissed me. I had felt like I was drowning in him, a drug I walked away from. I did not know if I could do that a second time.

When the door closed behind us I realized how small the space really was. I could easily reach out and grasp the collars of his shirt, push off his blazer and unbutton... Shaking my head I frowned. It was dark. Before he could say anything, I began blabbering.

"We don't have to do anything, I don't want to impose or make you feel like I was up to something. This is probably just a stupid idea of Alice's, she enjoys making me miserable. Besides we should be leaving soon, shouldn't we?" All while I was talking, I didn't dare take a look up.

Silence invaded the space before he suddenly grabbed my waist, yanking me close until our chests were pressed together. My blush, if possible, got deeper. I was suddenly regretting the choice of my dress. The neckline was already low, but in our position, he had a clear visual of the tops of my breasts.

His grip was tight, and he bent his neck until his lips were level with my left ear. I could feel laughter rumbling between us. My eyes narrowed in confusion. What was so funny?

"Relax Kerry, it's just a game. Lighten up and treat me like that James guy. It's not like you did much in here anyway." He told me lightheartedly. When he was this close, I could feel his lips pull up on the corners, mocking me. The butterflies in my stomach disappeared as my irritation grew, most of them anyway.

"You keep saying that, but unless you conveniently forgot to mention you could see through walls, I don't know how you could tell." I hissed, though I was mildly curious about the X-ray vision. Comics had to get there ideas from somewhere right?

He shrugged, pulling back so I could see the outline of his face. "Your heartbeats barely changed. Either you didn't do much, or you really need to work on your seduction skills."

Less than a minute had passed but I wanted out of the closet. He was too sterile, too collected. I had spent energy in dressing up for the evening but he made me feel like a gangly girl. I wasn't very experienced, it was true, but I had a couple of boyfriends in high school. I felt divided, part of me wanted to run and the other wanted to prove him wrong. Irrationality began to bubble over as I straightened my spine. I shifted my hands from their useless positions, trapped between us, to tangle my fingers into his hair.

I cold feel a slight quiver in my movements as I pulled him down, brushing his lips against mine. He could have stopped me, he could have pulled away, but he didn't. Instead I could feel his palms sliding up and down my back. He broke the kiss lightly and I could see the edges of his white teeth. I was suddenly nervous.

Without pause, he brought his mouth back to mine harshly. My head hit the wall as I found himself pinned against it. He ran his tongue across my bottom lip before nipping it teasingly. It wasn't so much permission as a warning as I suddenly found him forcing my mouth open for access.

I could feel myself battling him for control, falling into a pattern of give and take. My skin felt like it was on fire, every nerve was hyper sensitive. My nails dug into his scalp as I groaned. Maybe because it had been a few years, or maybe I had gotten better but this was nothing like the first time. His kisses reached lower and lower, I could feel heat curling my toes.

I allowed my fingers to explore, tracing his sharp jaw line before following his jugular down to his collar bone. He wasn't warm to touch, but I couldn't help feeling flushed. I felt down to his chest, hard muscle under the thin fabric of his shirt.

I ran the tip of my tongue along the roof of his mouth, and with dizzying speed his arm skid down past the edges of my flowing skirt, grasping my legs and hoisting me up until I locked my ankles behind him. My head fell back, as I closed my eyes, concentrating on his ministrations.

He shifted his attention downward, first finding a tender spot beneath my ear, then sliding down to the point where my neck met my shoulders. I shuddered at the feathery kisses as he increased the pressure, drawing small circles where his lips touched. His hands gripped my hips tightly; skin on skin contact. I squirmed a little, gasping and our lower bodies ground against each other.

Unconsciously, with one hand planted firmly at the nape of his neck, the other went lower, slipping under the bottom of his shirt. I could feel his stomach, the ridges of his abdomen and the V-line that sprouted at his waist line. He seemed to be responding positively. When I felt his teeth graze my skin though, I panicked.

"Don't bite." I whispered fervently, remembering the mark on the other girl. Remember who, and what, I was with.

He shook his head lightly, rising until I met his gaze. " Not even a taste?"

My eyes widened, brown and doey and scared shitless. I began to loosen my grip, wanting out. He scoffed at me, and tightened his grip not letting me go.

"_Relax_ Kerry," he repeated, rolling his eyes. I was beginning to hate that phrase. "I was kidding."

When he was sure I wasn't going to bolt, he bent down to kiss me once more. Abruptly, I found myself back on the ground, fighting to gain my balance. The lack of contact with him was disheartening.

"Times up, let's go." he announced, not bothering to glance in my direction before opening the door and leaving me behind. I followed momentarily in a daze, my lips feeling swollen. I knew without looking that my hair was also a mess. By the looks others were giving me, I felt it necessary to straighten my dress as well.

Alice gave me an over exaggerated wink, as I looked over at Michel. His hair was slightly messy but he carried himself easily as if nothing had happened. Gulping, I cursed the thudding in my chest. I could play innocent to the whole room but he would know. He always knew.

Looking at his watch, he called over to me. "It's almost 10:30, wanna go and find your friend? I can bring the car around."

I nodded to him as he left. It was still a little early, and Nelle would not be please. Still, with so many people around it would take him a little while and I needed a moment to clear my head.

There was a moment of discontent as the people around me to get us to stay, especially Jillian. It was a wonder, the girl hardly ever talked to me before. Chances were she was just experiencing with drawl from Michel. I pitied her, I knew how it felt. I promised to talk to Alice later before heading out to find my best friend.

She was in the kitchen talking to some of her other guests as she searched the pantry for more plastic cups. I realized I hadn't had so much as a drop of alcohol. At least I wouldn't have to lie about that one to my father.

"Nelle, Chris wanted to hang out a bit. He's leaving town again tomorrow. I think we're gonna head out." I told her nonchalantly.

She narrowed her eyes and I covered my torso, feeling self-conscious. "What?" I muttered.

She gestured to all of me. "What in seven hells were you up too? You look ravaged."

For the umpteenth time that night, I blushed. She gave me a measured look before shrugging. "I didn't get to see you at all tonight. You were supposed to stay over."

"I know, but I didn't realize he'd be in town. I was expecting a change of plans." I soothed, I felt bad ditching her. If only Michel didn't have such awful timing.

"Promise we can hangout later in the week then? If I've got to share you, I better at least get some details. You never even explained who he is."

I gave her my word before giving her a quick hug. I passed the crowds, most were definitely crashing, and headed outside. It was chillier and my feet were starting to hurt in my heels. Pretty as they were, I was beginning to admit their impracticality. I walked further down the street to where we had parked to see Michel pull out between a few other cars, stopping close by so that I could enter the passenger side.

Music was playing, a classic jazz album by someone I couldn't quite place. He was humming to the tune, light hearted as usual. Looking at his profile, I wondered yet again, how old he really was. He played the college student so well but it was an obvious lie. He must get so bored so easily. Why was he wasting his time here with me, what could I possibly have to offer?

As we drove, most likely towards his manor house, we didn't talk. He was still humming, but I was feeling anxious. I could still feel his lips against mine, my neck, grazing my earlobe. I remembered his muscles under my hands, his touch on my legs. Maybe I really was a child, it hadn't seemed to have any affect on his current mood. As soon as the ten minutes were over, he had marched straight out.

I crossed my legs, straightening my dress so it covered my knees. Tucking my hair behind my ear, I gave into the temptation.

"So...not so innocent am I?" I hedged, biting my lip slightly.

He glanced at me momentarily before bringing his eyes back to the road.

"We didn't really do anything."

My jaw crunched. "You hands were up my skirt!"

He shrugged. "We were still just kissing."

I wish I could wipe that miserable grin off his face. My body had yet to cool down completely, as nonchalant as he was, he couldn't have felt nothing. The feel of his pelvis against my hips jumped to my mind.

"You can't pretend you didn't care, I could feel you. You reacted as much as I did!" I didn't know why I was pushing it, it didn't really matter what he thought, she had only started it to prove a point. His smile was ever present on his pale face.

"Never said I didn't like it", displaying his teeth. Blood rushed to my face once more, drawing his attention. He gave a bark of laughter, enjoying my discomfort.

Oh yeah, that's why he bothered to stick around. I was his own personal comedy act.


End file.
